Switched reluctance motors typically comprise a soft magnetic rotor with a plurality of soft magnetic poles and a stator comprising a plurality of independently controllable coils for the selective generation of magnetic flux. Torque is created when current is applied to one of the coils and the coil responsively generates electromagnetic flux that operates on a soft magnetic pole of the rotor proximate to, but not aligned with, the energized coil. The flux acts on the rotor creating a force tending to align the soft magnetic pole on the rotor with the pole of the energized coil. The created force tending to align the pole on the rotor with that on the coil translates into rotational torque of the solenoid rotor. When the pole is aligned with the energized coil, there is no more aligning torque. Consequently, another coil of the motor must be energized to act on a pole of the rotor.
To achieve the phase-switching control of the synchronous reluctance motor, it is necessary to know the position of the rotor in relation to the stator coils. In one known method, position is sensed by a position sensor on the rotor that sends position feedback signals to a motor controller. An example known position sensor includes an encoder wheel that rotates with the rotor and one or more sensors (i.e., Hall effect sensors) mounted fixedly relative to the stator.